Journal
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
Volume 46, Issue 7, Pages 816-820Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/S0025-326X(03)00036-5
Keywords
Phragmites; Spartina; habitat; detritus; nekton; benthos
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Studies of effects of the invasive brackish marsh plant Phragmites australis (common reed) on estuarine biota are reviewed. With few exceptions, most field studies indicate that these P. australis-dominated marshes have diverse and abundant benthic biota, and are utilized by nekton, comparable to Spartina alterniflora marshes. However, larval mummichogs, Fundulus heteroclitus, appear to be reduced in P. australis marshes compared with S. alterniflora marshes. Small epifauna living on plant stems also appear to be denser on S. alterniflora than P. australis stems. Other studies indicate that the detritus produced by decaying P. australis litter provides food value comparable to that of S. alterniflora and that its production enters estuarine food webs. Therefore, the general assumption that these marshes are ecologically useless is untrue. This information should be considered by marsh managers when making decisions about restoration projects. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
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